[JW10]

Recently graduated from college with a business degree. I do not want to move back into my parents home, but the rent in CA (ucla) is ridiculous and I find renting a waste of money. I have been to las vegas several times through college and always loved it. (I would not describe myself as a "club" person either, I just like the city in general). I have always thought of moving to LV because I can afford it and live on my own for now. From what I've researched, I could buy a decent home
for my price range that would be less than renting in CA.

Anyway, Whats the job market like in LV for someone fresh out of college with a business degree?... im not set on a particular job.. just one to get my feet in the door and to support myself.

[Buzz123]

I'm sure that if you've done your research you know by now that Las Vegas has the highest unemployment rate in the country. But there are always jobs to be had if you go about it right. Getting a job is always a matter of being in the right place at the right time with the right qualifications. The only person that can get you a job is you, and you'd have to be here to make the rounds. It might be easy or you may never find one here. It's a crap shoot, and you may need plenty of money to live on while you look.

[JW10]

Thx for the reply... I just figured i would ask because when you research unemployment numbers.. they are quite subjective. For example in parts of CA... its something like 12%... but if you look closer.. those with college degrees was much less, almost half.

[vegaspilgrim]

I graduated 2 years ago from an even better school in SoCal (USC) with a MAcc degree and a great resume, and tried both in 2009 as well as last year in 2010 to land a corporate accounting job in Vegas. I moved in with my relatives there for a few weeks and became a temporary local, pounding the pavement all over town. I had interviews both times with one of the biggest entertainment corporations in the world, but they didn't go anywhere. I also applied at tons of other places and got zero response. Ironically, in 2009 I did land a casino-industry related job-- in Reno (another dismal place for employment in general) and lived there for 6 months. When I got laid off in 2010 I moved back to Denver and found my current gig. Still miss Vegas a lot. Spent last week out there.

I would definitely try to see if you can get pull off getting hired with one of the big gaming corporations in town doing some kind of entry level work that can lead into a career path. If that doesn't work out, your Vegas dream is pretty much SOL at this point, and you're better off living somewhere where you can actually have a career. If you do find a job in LA at least you can visit Vegas pretty easily-- same with Phoenix as well. There are plenty of cities with way lower cost of living than LA, higher quality of life, and with job markets that are superior to both LA and Vegas. I agree with you that Vegas would be an awesome place to live, but it's only awesome if you have a good job and money.

[radraja]

The job market in Las Vegas is crappy. That's a given.

But truth be told, I don't think that the job market here is going to be much worse than what you'd face in LA. The unemployment numbers may be slightly higher here, but in LA you're going to have lots of competition from other graduates who also attended top schools. If you think about it, Southern California has lots of highly ranked universities. Las Vegas has UNLV (a bottom tier school). Coming from a top school like UCLA may give you a competitive edge.

I would suggest getting in touch with UCLA alumni who are living here in Las Vegas. They would be a great resource for networking and finding job leads.

Honestly, if you're young and easily mobile, there's no reason why you shouldn't give Vegas a shot, if this is where you want to be. At this age, you don't really have anything to lose. Just know that networking is a big deal in this city (so find fellow alumni, join young professional groups, etc.), and be prepared to start at the bottom if you have to.

[von949]

Originally Posted by radraja

The job market in Las Vegas is crappy. That's a given.

But truth be told, I don't think that the job market here is going to be much worse than what you'd face in LA. The unemployment numbers may be slightly higher here, but in LA you're going to have lots of competition from other graduates who also attended top schools. If you think about it, Southern California has lots of highly ranked universities. Las Vegas has UNLV (a bottom tier school). Coming from a top school like UCLA may give you a competitive edge.

I would suggest getting in touch with UCLA alumni who are living here in Las Vegas. They would be a great resource for networking and finding job leads.

Honestly, if you're young and easily mobile, there's no reason why you shouldn't give Vegas a shot, if this is where you want to be. At this age, you don't really have anything to lose. Just know that networking is a big deal in this city (so find fellow alumni, join young professional groups, etc.), and be prepared to start at the bottom if you have to.

That is probably the best advice ever for this environment. Two friends of mine just let me know that they found jobs in Vegas. One of them networked through FaceBook. I guess he had some friends that had some friends that had some other friends...Security related at MGM.

The other is an older lady who got a job offer through Linkedin, another social networking site.(mostly for business connects) Her job is related in the marketing field.

Goes to show that those networking sites can be more useful than what most people use them for.

Its all about networking.

[dynimagelv]

Originally Posted by von949

Goes to show that those networking sites can be more useful than what most people use them for.Its all about networking.

What's more useful then gettin laid?

[von949]

Originally Posted by dynimagelv

What's more useful then gettin laid?

[ScoopLV]

The jobs people want around here don't require a degree -- valet, cocktail waitress, etc.

Find a job first, then move here. Live with your parents while you search. No shame in that. Just keep everything packed in boxes except the bare essentials. That way, you're already one foot out the door.

[jfkIII]

Originally Posted by dynimagelv

What's more useful then gettin laid?

gettin paid.